Silver Anniversary of our Mission-Parish!

On the fourth Sunday of January, 1985, it was a typical winter day in the San Joaquin Valley. In Merced, it was a bit foggy, but not too bad; visibility was actually five miles, and the temperature reached a balmy 52 degrees by mid-afternoon. However, despite appearances, something new was happening on that otherwise typical Sunday morning:

The very first public Orthodox Holy Eucharist -- the "Divine Liturgy" -- was held in Merced. The location was the good ol' Rotary Scout Hut in Applegate Park. The priest was Father Basil Rhodes, the young Rector of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Saratoga, CA; Father Basil graciously drove into the heart of the Central Valley from the Bay Area to begin this new thing: bring the ancient Christian tradition of the Orthodox Church to this place.

We are celebrating this wonderful occasion of our 25th Anniversary on May 1, 2010. Everyone is invited to join us! Please stay tuned to this website for more information.

St Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church is an active church community that has a select number of groups for fellowship, education, and ministry. These are in addition to the faithful contributing their unique gifts and ministries within the Body of Christ as individuals. The following exist to structure our life, worship, and mission.

Parish Council

Our parish council meets regularly with the pastor to assist in conducting the life of the Church. Parish council members are elected by the members of the Mission.

Choir

Our choir is responsible for leading the faithful in our offerings of worship to God, particularly at the Divine Liturgy. We do encourage congregational singing as much as possible. The choir is open to any who is able to exercise this ministry of worship.

 Church School

 From September through May, we have Church School classes for both elementary school ages and junior high and high school children. The classes meet on Sundays after services, with the children dismissed for study after Holy Communion in the Divine Liturgy.

Youth Group

We have a teen youth group called "The Fellowship of the Furnace," named for the "Three Holy Youths" (our patronal saints) delivered from fiery furnace, as described in the Book of Daniel. "The Furnace" meets usually twice a month with the teens of St. Peter the Apostle Orthodox Church of Fresno, in addition to our local gatherings in Merced. Together we have a great time being together and learning what it means to be faithful Christians in today's world. We also have special events and retreats, and are planning a "Project Mexico" ministry trip to Baja California in near future! Come join "The Furnace" -- it's so hot it's cool!

Sisterhood of the Holy Myrrhbearers

The women of our church community come together for fellowship and ministry, not only raising funds for special needs of our parish and for outreach, but also for mutual encouragement in Christ. Our Sisterhood has as its heavenly intrercessors the Holy Myrrhbearers, with St. Mary Magdalene as her leader.

Orthodoxy 101:  An Introduction to Following Jesus in the Orthodox Christian Church

Icon of Jesus Christ

Teen Youth Ministry

The Fellowship of the Furnace

What's so hot, it's cool...? It's The Fellowship of the Furnace, the teen youth ministry of both St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church of Merced as well as St. Peter the Apostle Orthodox Church, in Fresno.

Our Name:

The Fellowship of the Furnace, or, in short form: “The Furnace” Who are we? The Furnace is an Orthodox Christian teen youth group of the central and north San Joaquin Valley. At this time, the Orthodox Christian teens of two churches participate, even while we hope that other parishes will join us: St. Peter the Apostle Church (of the Western Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church), in Fresno, California, and our own St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church, in Merced, California.

It's gonna be in code, but not "The Da Vinci Code!"

Stuff is a-comin' about Orthodoxy and Mission!

The Orthodox Archbishop of Albania, Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, has said the following:

"Mission is part of the Church’s genetic material, a fixed element in its DNA. It is a gift of grace organically fused to the Church"

Please return to these page in the weeks ahead to hear of the work and teachings of the Orthodox Church, and this mission parish, in reaching the world for the Kingdom of God.